Mental health a factor in disaster planning
Long term mental health is a recent component of emergency preparedness community members should plan for when preparing for a natural disaster.
When a disaster strikes, Emergency Management Agency Director Troy Anderson and CERT members follow-up with victims immediately and again three days later to assess needs.
Anderson said disaster victims could be affected by PTSD. “We never tied mental health a lot to the disaster scene; we are now,” Anderson said.
He started forming a long-term care team in 2019, and is incorporating mental health coach training into his CERT program, which can include working with organizations like Prevention Awareness Support Services.
“You see depression, you see anxiety. The larger the disaster, the longer the recovery times are,” PASS Associate Director Rick Skilliter said.
He said it was important to understand that mental health symptoms are common after a disaster, and that people should know how to connect with long-term mental health services.
“We know impacts on children certainly vary. (Children) look to the parents to see how resilient the parents are,” Skilliter said.
He said children take cues from how parents handle the situation, and that it is important to limit exposure to media, which can cause further trauma.
“We learned a lot after 9/11 with individuals who just watched the news excessively,” Skilliter said.
In the Auglaize County area, wind and rain events are more common, in addition to the occasional fire, and it’s taken years for homes and farm structures to be rebuilt or repaired after being destroyed in tornado and flooding events.
Anderson recommends residents have emergency plans in place; those plans should include current insurance coverage, financial and/or housing plans in the event FEMA assistance is delayed.
“One, two, three years you could be displaced out of your home,” Anderson said.
Damages to crops would be covered under crop insurance and USDA policies.
Insurance Agent Alan Davis noted that most insurance policies will pay for temporary housing, like a hotel. He said while adjustment and insurance money may come quickly the rebuilding process could take years.
Davis also noted construction material prices have risen significantly, something that may drag out a recovery process.
Davis saw the importance of having a plan and a meeting place when a disaster occurs.
Anderson’s long-term recovery team can help those who are denied assistance from other recovery efforts.
Anderson was able to find financial assistance for a senior citizen who had been denied a Small Business Administration loan for recovery efforts due to income status.